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Pregnant women will be tested for smoking

The tests are an attempt to reduce the 21% of women who smoke while pregnant (Brooke Fasani)

ALL pregnant women will be asked to take breath tests for carbon monoxide to check if they are telling the truth about smoking.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) says midwives should test all women with carbon monoxide kits at antenatal appointments.

Women found to have high carbon monoxide readings will be referred to “smoking cessation services”. All discussions about giving up smoking would be recorded in the mother’s notes, under the proposed Nice guidance.

The move is an attempt to reduce the 21% of women who smoke during pregnancy. Carbon monoxide harms foetal growth and development. Smokers are three times more likely to have a baby with low birth weight — a leading cause of infant death.

Some midwives, however, oppose the tests. A Royal College of Midwives (RCM) source said the guidance was “ill-judged” and could damage relationships with expectant mothers. “Midwives should not be seen